Matthew Capiccioni (born December 31, 1980) is an American

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

, better known by his

ring name A ring name is a type of stage name used by an athlete such as a professional wrestler, mixed martial artist, or boxer whose real name is considered unattractive, dull, difficult to pronounce or spell, amusing for the wrong reasons, or project ...

s M-Dogg 20, Matt Cross and Son of Havoc. He currently competes on the

independent circuit In professional wrestling, the independent circuit or indie circuit is the collective noun, collective name of independent professional wrestling promotions which are smaller than major televised promotions. It is roughly analogous to a minor lea ...

and

Major League Wrestling Major League Wrestling (MLW), is an American professional wrestling promotion based in New Rochelle, New York. The promotion was founded in 2002 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by former WWE writer Court Bauer. The promotion markets its product as ...

. Cross has also worked for prominent promotions such as

Ring of Honor Ring of Honor (ROH) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. The promotion was founded by Rob Feinstein on February 23, 2002, and was operated by Cary Silkin from 2004 until 2011, when the promotion was s ...

Lucha Underground Lucha Underground was an American professional wrestling promotion founded in 2014 by United Artists Media Group. Partly owned by Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA), ''Lucha Underground'' also refers to its weekly television program Televi ...

, Chikara and the short-lived Wrestling Society X. His main

gimmick A gimmick is a novel device or idea designed primarily to attract attention or increase appeal, often with little intrinsic value. When applied to retail marketing, it is a unique or quirky feature designed to make a product or service "stand ou ...

is that of an adherent of the straight edge lifestyle, a culture which he follows in

real life Real life is a phrase used originally in literature to distinguish between the real world and fictional, virtual or idealized worlds, and in acting to distinguish between actors and the characters they portray. It has become a popular term on the ...

. In 2011, Capiccioni joined the cast of the fifth season of ''

WWE Tough Enough ''WWE Tough Enough'' was an American professional wrestling reality competition series that was produced by WWE, wherein participants undergo professional wrestling training and compete for a contract with WWE. There were two winners per season ...

''.

Early life

Capiccioni, of descent from the country of

San Marino San Marino (, ), officially the Republic of San Marino ( it, Repubblica di San Marino; ), also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino ( it, Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino, links=no), is the fifth-smallest country in the world an ...

, participated in competitive

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, s ...

for ten years. In 1999, he won

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have be ...

s in both the rings and the

vault Vault may refer to: * Jumping, the act of propelling oneself upwards Architecture * Vault (architecture), an arched form above an enclosed space * Bank vault, a reinforced room or compartment where valuables are stored * Burial vault (enclosure ...

at the AAU Junior Olympic Games.

Professional wrestling career

Debut (1999–2001)

A fan of

Extreme Championship Wrestling HHG Corporation, doing business as Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), was a professional wrestling promotion and media company that was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The promotion was founded in 1992 by Tod Gordon as National Wrest ...

, Capiccioni was involved in

backyard wrestling Backyard wrestling (BYW), also referred to as yarding or backyarding, is an underground hobby and sport involving untrained practices of Professional wrestling, professional-style wrestling, typically in a low-budget environment, such as a backy ...

before enrolling at the Cleveland Pro Wrestling training school under the tutelage of J.T. Lightning. Upon completing his training, he took on the ring name M-Dogg 20, and began competing on the

Early independent work (2001–2009)

He wrestled for promotions including the Union of Independent Professional Wrestlers, where he defeated

Jerry Lynn Jeremy Lynn (born June 12, 1963), better known by the ring name Jerry Lynn, is an American retired professional wrestler currently signed with All Elite Wrestling as a producer and coach. He has worked for promotions such as World Championship ...

to win the vacant UIPW Championship on October 11, 2003. He formed a regular

tag team Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...

with Piscura (who wrestled as Josh Prohibition) known as Youthanazia, and the pair won Cleveland All-Pro Wrestling (CAPW)'s North American Tag Team Championship twice,

Xtreme Pro Wrestling Xtreme Pro Wrestling (XPW) is an American independent professional wrestling promotion owned by Rob Zicari. Zicari originally ran the promotion out of Los Angeles from 1999 to 2003. He appeared on shows as the on-camera owner under the name Ro ...

World Tag Team Championship The world tag team championship is the name usually given to the primary tag team championship (professional wrestling), championships in professional wrestling Professional wrestling promotions, promotions. Nomenclature The name of the promo ...

twice, the International Wrestling Cartel's Tag Team Championship twice, and the NWA Upstate Tag Team Championship once. M-Dogg 20 also won the CAPW Junior Heavyweight Championship on November 9, 2003, by defeating H8 Pac. Youthanzia also wrestled for the

Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South Independent Wrestling Association (IWA) Mid-South (also known as IWA Mid-South, IWA-MS, and IWA Mid South Wrestling) is an American independent professional wrestling promotion based in New Albany, Indiana. It was formed by Ian Rotten in 199 ...

and

Jersey All Pro Wrestling Jersey All Pro Wrestling (JAPW) was an independent wrestling promotion based in New Jersey, United States. History 1997 Jersey All Pro Wrestling was an independent wrestling promotion that was founded by "Fat" Frank Iadeavia and Angel Surita ...

in 2004. In 2006 he made his debut for Hawaii-based promotion Action Zone Wrestling at their one-year anniversary show in a match against another indy star in Super Hentai in 2006. The two would later return and team up at AZW's "Battleclash 2" in December. Matt returned to Hawaii and AZW in June 2011 for Anniversary Annihilation 6 where Matt took on AZW Heavyweight Champion (and 2004 Olympian) "Mr. Athletic"

Jeff Cobb Jeffrey Cobb (ジェフ・コブ　''Jefu Kobu'', born July 11, 1982) is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler currently signed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) where he is a two-time IWGP Tag Team Champion with United Emp ...

. Capiccioni also wrestled for UWA Hardcore Wrestling as M-Dogg 20. He debuted as part of the company's second show. On February 16, 2007, M-Dogg unsuccessfully challenged Josh Prohibition for the UWA Canadian Championship, in a three-match also involving Sonjay Dutt. He defeated PUMA to win the UWA Canadian Championship at the ''Return of the Dragon'' show on July 28, 2007. Although he missed night one of UWA Hardcore's annual GP tournament, he made a surprise return on the second night of the tournament during the main event steel cage match. M-Dogg 20's return ultimately helped Osiris and

win the match over the Prohibition Wrestling Alliance, a

stable A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...

led by his former tag team partner Josh Prohibition. As a stipulation of the match, control of the company reverted from Prohibition back to Osiris, the original owner of the company. One month later at UWA's ''Return of the Phoenix'' event, M-Dogg 20 lost the Canadian Championship to Prohibition in a

gauntlet match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

also featuring Rip Impact. Matt Capiccioni

During November 2009, Capiccioni participated in the Hulkamania tour of Australia, using the ring name Spartan 3000 and took part in a best of three match series for a prize of US$25,000 with

Shannon Moore Shannon Moore (born July 27, 1979) is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his work with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) between 1999 and 2001 and with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) for several years in the 2000s. H ...

. Spartan won the first match on November 21, and Moore won the second on November 24. The rubber match ended in a

draw Draw, drawing, draws, or drawn may refer to: Common uses * Draw (terrain), a terrain feature formed by two parallel ridges or spurs with low ground in between them * Drawing (manufacturing), a process where metal, glass, or plastic or anything ...

on November 26, resulting in a ladder match for the final match of the tour two days later, which Spartan won.

Combat Zone Wrestling (2002–2004)

He made his

Combat Zone Wrestling Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW) is an American independent wrestling promotion. In 1998, John Zandig and five of his students, Ric Blade, T.C.K, Lobo, Nick Gage and Justice Pain, along with trainer Jon Dahmer, began to run professional wrestling ...

(CZW) debut in 2002, appearing at ''Process of Elimination'' in April, and defeating Prohibition to qualify for the annual

Best of the Best Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporation ...

tournament. At the tournament itself on June 8, M-Dogg 20 made it to the second round, where he was defeated by

Trent Acid Michael Verdi (November 12, 1980 – June 18, 2010), best known by his ring name Trent Acid, was an American professional wrestler. He worked as a tag team wrestler for most of his career, primarily as part of The Backseat Boyz with Johnny Kashm ...

, the eventual winner of the tournament. M-Dogg returned to CZW that September, and defeated Prohibition in a Tables and Ladders match at ''Ultraviolent Freedom Of Expression''. At ''Night Of Infamy'' in November, a

tag team match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

between the team of M-Dogg 20 and

Nick Mondo Matthew Timothy Burns (born March 28, 1980), better known by his ring name "Sick" Nick Mondo, is a retired American professional wrestler. Since his in-ring retirement in 2003, he has become a filmmaker, actor and stuntman and, at one point, worke ...

and the team of Acid and

Johnny Kashmere John Kashmer (born November 6, 1978), better known by the ring name Johnny Kashmere, is an American professional wrestler. Kashmere has competed in Ring of Honor, Combat Zone Wrestling, Assault Championship Wrestling, and NWA New Jersey, and in ...

ended in a

no contest ' is a legal term that comes from the Latin phrase for "I do not wish to contend". It is also referred to as a plea of no contest or no defense. In criminal trials in certain United States jurisdictions, it is a plea where the defendant ne ...

. The following month, M-Dogg faced

Sonjay Dutt Retesh Bhalla (born April 7, 1982) is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a producer and manager. He is best known for his time with Total Nonstop ActionImpact Wrestling under the ring name Sonjay ...

and Ruckus in a

three-way match Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

to determine the number one contender to the CZW World Junior Heavyweight Championship, but the match was won by Dutt. At ''Best of the Best 4'' on July 10, 2004, M-Dogg 20 returned to CZW, attacking CZW Junior Heavyweight Champion Sonjay Dutt and stealing his championship belt. He attacked Dutt again at ''Possession'' in August, before he teamed with

Jimmy Rave James Michael Guffey (December 8, 1982 – December 12, 2021), better known by the ring name Jimmy Rave, was an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his time with Ring of Honor (ROH) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). Ear ...

to defeat Dutt and Amazing Red at ''High Stakes 2: Always Bet On Black''. At ''Night of Infamy 3'' in November, Dutt defeated both M-Dogg 20 and Rave in a three-way match. At '' Cage of Death 6'', M-Dogg lost to Dutt in a match for the World Junior Heavyweight Championship, forcing M-Dogg to leave the company per the pre-match stipulation.

Ring of Honor (2006–2009)

Capiccioni, as Matt Cross, made his debut in

(ROH) on October 7, 2006, at ''Motor City Madness'' in a six-man mayhem match, which was won by Pelle Primeau and also involved Jimmy Rave, Shane Hagadorn, and Dave and Jake Crist. His second appearance came the following month, when he lost to

Christopher Daniels Daniel Christopher Covell (born March 24, 1970), better known by the ring name Christopher Daniels, is an American semi-retired professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and is the Head of Talent Relations. He is best kn ...

at ''The Bitter End''. He faced Daniels again at ''The Chicago Spectacular Night 1'' on December 8, in a four-corner survival match, which was won by B. J. Whitmer and also included

Davey Richards Wesley David Richards (born March 1, 1983) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to Major League Wrestling (MLW), under the ring name Davey Richards, and is the current MLW National Openweight Champion in his first reign. ...

. The following night, Cross and Daniels teamed together in a loss to Austin Aries and Roderick Strong. He returned to ROH in February 2007, losing a six-man mayhem match at ''Fifth Year Festival: Dayton''. M-Dogg 20

The following night at ''Fifth Year Festival: Chicago'' however, Cross won his first match in ROH when he was victorious in a four-corner survival match, defeating

Shingo Shingo can refer to: Religion *Shingon Buddhism Locations *Shingō, Okayama (神郷町), a town located in Atetsu District, Okayama Prefecture, Japan *Shingō, Aomori is a village located in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. , the village has an estima ...

, CJ Otis, and Trik Davis. Following the match, Cross was approached by

Austin Aries Daniel Healy Solwold Jr. (born April 15, 1978), better known by his ring name Austin Aries, is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler currently signed to the Control Your Narrative wrestling promotion. He is best known for his ...

, who asked Cross to team with him later night against the

No Remorse Corps No Remorse Corps (often abbreviated to N.R.C.) was a professional wrestling stable, made up of Davey Richards, Rocky Romero and Roderick Strong. The stable worked for Ring of Honor (ROH) between 2007 and 2008, with Richards and Romero capturing t ...

(NRC) to which Cross agreed. The pair were then attacked by NRC members

Roderick Strong Christopher Lindsey (born July 26, 1983), better known by his name Roderick Strong, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the NXT brand, as the leader of Diamond Mine, but is currently inactive due t ...

and Davey Richards. Cross and Aries won the tag team encounter, but during the match Cross performed a springboard

plancha A flattop grill is a cooking appliance that resembles a griddle but performs differently because the heating element is circular rather than straight (side to side). This heating technology creates an extremely hot and even cooking surface, as h ...

outside the ring, landing on the guardrail and sustaining several cuts. The team of Aries and Cross were later joined by Erick Stevens, with the three being named The Resilience. At ''This Means War II'' in April, The Resilience lost a six-man elimination match to the NRC (Strong, Richards, and

Rocky Romero John R. Rivera (born October 28, 1982) is a Puerto Rican-American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He is currently signed non-exclusively to New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), better known by his ring name Rocky Romero (ロッ ...

). At ''Reborn Again'' in May, Cross and Stevens teamed with

Bryan Danielson Bryan Lloyd Danielson (born May 22, 1981) is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of the Blackpool Combat Club. He is also known for his time in WWE, where he worked fro ...

in a loss to the NRC in a

six-man tag team match Much like the singles match, tag team professional wrestling matches can and have taken many forms. Just about any singles or melee match type can be adapted to tag teams; for example, hardcore tag team matches are commonplace. Tag team ladder ...

. In June, Cross, Stevens, and

Delirious Delirious may refer to: * A state of delirium Film and television * ''Delirious'' (1991 film), an American comedy directed by Tom Mankiewicz, starring John Candy * ''Delirious'' (2006 film), an American comedy-drama directed by Tom DiCillo, sta ...

defeated the NRC in a six-man tag team match, before Cross lost the Richards in a singles match the following night at ''Domination''. Cross appeared at the Driven

pay-per-view Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast. Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program g ...

on June 22, when he, Stevens, and Delirious lost to the NRC. At ''Death Before Dishonor V: Night 2'' in August, The Resilience and Delirious lost a

Philadelphia Street Fight Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

to the NRC and

Matt Sydal Matthew Joseph Korklan (born March 19, 1983), better known by the ring name Matt Sydal, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Prior to signing with AEW, Sydal wrestled in WWE as Evan Bourne, and was ...

. The Resilience went on to defeat Richards, Jason Blade, and Eddie Edwards, before Cross and Stevens defeated

Mike Quackenbush Michael Spillane (born March 18, 1976), is an American podcaster, author, professional wrestling trainer, professional wrestling promoter, and retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Mike Quackenbush. He has hosted several ...

and Jigsaw at ''Manhattan Mayhem II''. At ''Motor City Madness 2007'' on September 14, Cross and Aries unsuccessfully challenged the Briscoe Brothers (Jay and Mark) for the

ROH World Tag Team Championship The ROH World Tag Team Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor. The championship is generally contested in professional wrestling matches, i ...

. At the '' Man Up'' pay-per-view taping the following night, Cross lost to NRC member Romero in a singles match. The next month, at the taping of '' Undeniable'', Cross and Stevens lost a tag team match to Romero and Richards. The match carried the stipulation that whoever was pinned would be suspended, and because Cross was pinned, he was suspended from ROH for two months. Cross returned at '' Rising Above'' on December 29, where he competed in a four-way match won by the

Necro Butcher Dylan Keith Summers (born July 13, 1973), better known by the ring name Necro Butcher, is an American professional wrestler. Throughout the years he has worked for various promotions, including Ring of Honor, Full Impact Pro, IWA Mid-South, Pro ...

. The following night at ''

Final Battle Final Battle is a professional wrestling event, held annually by the Ring of Honor promotion. The event was initially held in 2002, and is traditionally ROH's last show in the calendar year. The 2009 edition of the show was ROH's first internet ...

'', Cross and

Bobby Fish Robert Anthony Fish (born October 27, 1976) is an American professional wrestler currently appearing on the independent circuit. He is best known for his tenure with WWE, where he performed on the NXT brand and was a member of The Undisputed E ...

lost to Ruckus and Jigsaw in a tag team match. At ''Breakout'' on January 25, 2008, Cross and Jigsaw lost to the Briscoe Brothers. The next Cross appeared in ROH was at ''Steel City Clash'' on March 20, 2009, when he teamed with Stevens in a loss to Rhett Titus and

Kenny King Kenneth, Ken or Kenny King may refer to: Ken King * Ken King (born 1971), American politician and businessman * Ken King (ice hockey) (1952–2020), Canadian sports executive Kenneth King * Kenneth George King or Jonathan King (born 1944), Englis ...

. At ''A Cut Above'' the following month, he made his final appearance in ROH as he competed in a four-corner survival match, which was won by

Claudio Castagnoli Claudio Castagnoli ( ; born 27 December 1980) is a Swiss professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and is a member of the Blackpool Combat Club stable. Castagnoli also performs for AEW's sister promotion, Ring of Honor ...

Wrestling Society X (2007)

In 2007, when

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

launched its new wrestling program Wrestling Society X, Capiccioni was signed to the project under his Matt Cross ring name, and he formed a tag team with Teddy Hart called The Filth and The Fury. As part of the television tapings, The Filth and The Fury defeated The Trailer Park Boyz (Nate Webb and

Josh Raymond Joshua Raymond (born April 13, 1984), better known by his ring name Josh Abercrombie, is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenures in Independent Wrestling Association Mid-South, Juggalo Championship Wrestling, Ring of Ho ...

) and Team Dragon Gate ( Yoshino and Horiguchi) before losing to Los Pochos Guapos (Kaos and Aguilera).

Foreign excursion (2005–2008)

In March 2005, M-Dogg 20 traveled to

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

, where he wrestled for the

Irish Whip Wrestling Irish Whip Wrestling (IWW) is an Irish-owned independent professional wrestling promotion established in January 2002. The company is named after a wrestling move called the 'Irish Whip'. IWW runs shows Nationally throughout the whole of Ireland, ...

promotion, competing against

Jonny Storm Jonathan Whitcombe (born 19 April 1977) is an English professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Jonny Storm. He has worked for many independent promotions across the United Kingdom, including the Frontier Wrestling Alliance, Real ...

Jody Fleisch Jerome Fleisch (born 2 April 1980) is an English professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Jody Fleisch. He is best known for his work with the Frontier Wrestling Alliance, One Pro Wrestling and Real Quality Wrestling. He is currentl ...

, Darren Burridge, and Red Vinny. In May 2007, Capiccioni returned to Europe when he was booked by the Queens of Chaos promotion in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. He wrestled in front of 72,000 people, which is the 2007 record for a wrestling show. As Matt Cross, he debuted in German Stampede Wrestling in 2007, and was part of a four-way for the Breakthrough Championship against Germany's Thumbtack Jack, Steve Douglas and X-Dream, who eventually won the match. In April 2010, Cross was a surprise guests (along with

Chris Hero Chris Spradlin (born December 24, 1979), better known by his ring name Chris Hero, is an American professional wrestler and trainer. He is currently signed to Ring of Honor as a producer. Hero has worked for a number of independent wrestling pr ...

, Douglas Williams and

Ares Ares (; grc, Ἄρης, ''Árēs'' ) is the Greek god of war and courage. He is one of the Twelve Olympians, and the son of Zeus and Hera. The Greeks were ambivalent towards him. He embodies the physical valor necessary for success in war ...

) for GSW's final show. He lost another Breakthrough Championship match in a three-way against

Emil Sitoci Emil Sitoci (born May 17, 1985) is a Dutch professional wrestler and television personality, currently working for the German professional wrestling promotion Westside Xtreme Wrestling Professional wrestling career Sitoci started his career in 2 ...

and X-Dream on Saturday, and then teamed with X-Dream in a GSW Tag Team Championship scramble match on Sunday, but was again unsuccessful. When GSW reopened with a new structure a few months later, Cross received another match for the Breakthrough Championship, and won by defeating Sitoci. He held the championship through the next three television tapings and successfully defended it against Zack Sabre Jr. At the ''Unstoppable'' internet pay-per-view, he lost the championship to X-Dream. In 2008, Capiccioni began competing for the

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

-based Nu-Wrestling Evolution as "Spartan 3000 b.C.", a

Sparta Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referr ...

n warrior inspired by the popular movie ''

300 __NOTOC__ Year 300 ( CCC) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Constantius and Valerius (or, less frequently, year 1053 ''Ab ...

''. The same year, Capiccioni wrestled in several matches for

Pro Wrestling Noah (stylised as Pro Wrestling NOAH) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion, founded in 2000 by former All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) ace Mitsuharu Misawa after he had led a mass exodus in which 24 of AJPW's 26 contracted wrestlers left th ...

under a

mask A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment and often they have been employed for rituals and rights. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and pra ...

as "Raptor".

World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE (2010–2011)

On July 15, 2010, Capiccioni, under his Matt Cross ring name, wrestled a try-out match alongside Jamin Canseco against The Gatecrashers ( Vance Archer and Curt Hawkins) on an episode of ''

Superstars A superstar is a widely acclaimed celebrity. Superstar or superstars may also refer to: People * Warhol superstars, the associates of Andy Warhol * WWE Superstar, a branding term referring to a WWE wrestler * Superstar Billy Graham (born 1943) ...

'', which they lost when Canseco was pinned by Archer. In 2011, Capiccioni joined the cast of the revived ''

'' series, which premiered on April 4. That same day Capiccioni, along with the rest of the cast, appeared on '' Raw'' in a segment with ''Tough Enough'' host

Stone Cold Steve Austin Steve Austin (born Steven James Anderson; December 18, 1964), better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American media personality, actor, and retired professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most ...

. He was eliminated from the competition in the second week, which was analyzed as "very surprising".

Later independent work (2010–present)

On April 24, 2010, Capiccioni, under his Matt Cross ring name, made his debut for Philadelphia-based Chikara. In his first match, a four-way elimination match in the ''Rey de Voladores'' (King of the Fliers) tournament, Cross defeated Flip Kendrick, Malachi Jackson and Amasis to advance to the finals. The following day, Cross was defeated in the finals by Ophidian. On March 2, 2012, Cross' former tag team partner Josh Prohibition came out of retirement to reform Youthanazia, and together they defeated Aeroform (Flip Kendrick and Louis Lyndon) to win the Absolute Intense Wrestling Tag Team Championship. Youthanazia made their first successful title defense on April 6 by defeating

The Irish Airborne The Crist Brothers were an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of brothers David Crist Jr. and John Crist, who are best known by their ring names Dave Crist and Jake Crist, they are best known for their time with Impact Wrestling ...

. On October 20, 2013, Cross defeated Matthew Justice to win the Prime Television Championship. Cross debuted for UK promotion

Progress Wrestling Progress Wrestling (stylized as PROGRESS) is a British professional wrestling promotion that was established in 2011 by comedian Jim Smallman, events and comedy promoter Jon Briley, and later, actor Glen Robinson (professionally known as Glen ...

in May 2016 at their annual Super Strong Style 16 tournament. He lost to

Sami Callihan Samuel Alton Johnston (born September 1, 1987) is an American professional wrestler and promoter, better known by the ring name Sami Callihan, currently signed with Impact Wrestling and is a former Impact World Champion. He also wrestled for Luch ...

in the first round and later participated in the ten man scramble redemption match on Night 2. At Chapter 38, Cross was victorious over Mark Andrews, gaining the number one contendership for the Smash Wrestling Championship. On September 1, 2018, Matt Cross wrestled in the opening contest of independent wrestling super-show All In against Maxwell Jacob Friedman.

Lucha Underground (2014–2019)

In September 2014, it was reported that Capiccioni had signed with the

El Rey El Rey, Spanish for The King, may refer to: Locations * El Rey Inn, Santa Fe, New Mexico *El Rey National Park in Argentina * El Rey Theatre, a live music venue in Los Angeles, California *El Rey archaeological site, a Mayan site in Cancun, Mexico ...

network's new television series, ''

''. He assumed a masked character by the ring name of Son of Havoc, and wrestled during the first episode of ''Lucha Underground'' on October 29, defeating

Sexy Star Dulce Maria García Rivas (born September 20, 1982) is a Mexican ''luchadora'' '' enmascarada'', or masked female professional wrestler, mixed martial artist and professional boxer who is better known by the ring name Sexy Star. She is best kno ...

. The following weeks, Havoc was defeated by Mascarita Sagrada and Pimpinela Escarlata, asking for real competition. On January 17, Havoc was defeated by Angélico and by Johnny Mundo. Finally, on January 25, Havoc broke up with Ivelisse and defeated Angélico, his first singles win since his debut. On February 8, 2015, Son of Havoc, Angélico and Ivelisse won a tournament to become the inaugural Lucha Underground Trios Champions. On the May 20 episode of ''Lucha Underground'', Ivelisse, Havoc and Angélico successfully retained their championships in a

ladder match A ladder match is a type of match in professional wrestling, most commonly one in which an item (usually a title belt) is hung above the ring, and the winner is the contestant who climbs a ladder and retrieves the item. The ladder itself becom ...

against The Crew ( Cortez Castro, Mr. Cisco and

Bael Bael may refer to: *''Aegle marmelos'', commonly known as the Bael tree * Bael (demon) * Bael (wrestler) See also * Baal (disambiguation) * Bail (disambiguation) Bail is the conditional release of an arrested person prior to their trial, or the m ...

). They lost the titles to The Disciples of Death on the first night of Ultima Lucha, but managed to regain them in the show's second season before losing them again in the finals of another Trios Tournament. On June 13, 2018, Lucha Underground Trios champion Dante Fox did not appear, and was pronounced 'Missing in Action', Havoc was named champion in his place, alongside The Mack and Killshot

National Wrestling Alliance (2019–Present)

Cross appeared at a

National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling promotion and former professional wrestling governing body operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA began as a governing body for a ...

event on January 5, 2019. He wrestled Willie Mack at NWA New Years Clash for the

NWA National Heavyweight Championship The NWA National Championship is a professional wrestling championship owned and promoted by the U.S.-based, National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). The current champion is Cyon, who is in his first reign. The championship was established in January ...

in a losing effort. Cross returned to the National Wrestling Alliance on January 24, 2020, at their Hard Times PPV, competing in the TV Title tournament.

Other media

Capiccioni was featured on Season 6 of ''

American Ninja Warrior American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

'', participating in the St. Louis, Missouri qualifying round but failed to qualify. He appeared in ''Backyard Wrestling: A Passion for Pain'' (DVD, 2003) which featured early wrestling matches and humorous stunts. He appeared as a character in the 2003 video game '' Backyard Wrestling: Don't Try This at Home'' which also features

Insane Clown Posse Insane Clown Posse, often abbreviated as ICP, is an American hip hop duo. Formed in Detroit in 1989 as a gangsta rap group, ICP's best known lineup consists of rappers Violent J (Joseph Bruce) and Shaggy 2 Dope (originally 2 Dope; Joseph Utsl ...

. In 2017, Capiccioni started the clothing company Wrestling Is Forever. In 2020, he starred as a fictionalized version of himself in the Indiegogo crowdfunded wrestling suspense thriller film ''Powerbomb''.

Personal life

Capiccioni's grandfather was from

and he has dual nationality as a result. Capiccioni attended

Cleveland State University Cleveland State University (CSU) is a public research university in Cleveland, Ohio. It was established in 1964 and opened for classes in 1965 after acquiring the entirety of Fenn College, a private school that had been in operation since 1923 ...

, where he earned his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

in communications. He is also straight edge. Matt Cross shooting star ress

Championships and accomplishments

*Support All Pro Wrestling **SAPW Heavyweight Championship (1 time, current) *Absolute Intense Wrestling *Cleveland All Pro Wrestling **CAPW Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time) **CAPW North American Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Josh Prohibition *Continental Wrestling Federation **CWF Championship (1 time, current) *

DDT Pro-Wrestling is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Its name stands for Dramatic Dream Team, which was the promotion's official name from 1997 to 2004. Founded in March 1997 by Shintaro Muto, the promotion was eventually bo ...

Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship The is a professional wrestling championship created and promoted by the Japanese promotion CyberFight in its DDT Pro-Wrestling (DDT) brand. Open to anyone, regardless of gender or DDT employment status, the championship is defended " 24/7", as ...

( 1 time) *East Coast Wrestling Association **ECWA Super 8 Tournament (2014) *European Wrestling Promotion **EWP Intercontinental Championship (1 time, current) **EWP Tag Team Championships (1 time) - with Chris Colen *Extreme Ring Action **ERA Heavyweight Champion (2015) *Far North Wrestling **FNW Cruiserweight Championship (1 time) *Firestorm Pro Wrestling **Firestorm Pro Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *German Stampede Wrestling **GSW Breakthrough Championship (2 times) *German Wrestling Federation **GWF Berlin Championship (1 time) *HoodMark Lucha Libre **HMLL Championship (1 time) * International Wrestling Australia ** IWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *

**IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship (IWA Mid-South Heavyweight Championship#Title history, 1 time) *International Wrestling Cartel **IWC Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Josh Prohibition *Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide **Best High-flyer award (2017) *

**Lucha Underground Trios Championship (Lucha Underground Trios Championship#Title history, 3 times) – with Angélico and Ivelisse (2) and Shane Strickland, Killshot and Willie Mack (1) **Lucha Underground tournaments#Unique Opportunity Tournament (2016), Unique Opportunity Tournament (2016) *Mid-Ohio Wrestling **MOW Cruiserweight Championship (1 time) *Mondo Lucha **Mondo Lucha Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Johnny Mundo *National Wrestling Alliance, NWA Upstate **NWA Upstate Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Josh Prohibition *New Era Pro Wrestling **NEPW Cruiserweight Championship (1 time) **NEPW Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Josh Prohibition *Next Generation Wrestling **NGW Championship (1 time) *Olde Wrestling **Olde Wrestling World Championship (1 time, current) *Pro Wrestling Illustrated **PWI ranked him #88 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the Pro Wrestling Illustrated#PWI 500, PWI 500 in 2014 *Pro Wrestling Ohio/Prime Wrestling **PWO Heavyweight Championship (2 times) **Prime Television Championship (1 time) *Qatar Pro Wrestling **QPW King of the Ladder Match Championship (1 time) *Smash Wrestling **Smash Wrestling Championship (1 time) *Swiss Wrestling Entertainment **SWE King of Switzerland Championship (1 time) *Union of Independent Professional Wrestlers **UNION Heavyweight Championship (1 time) *UWA Hardcore Wrestling **UWA Canadian Heavyweight Championship (2 times) *Xcite Wrestling **Xcite Wrestling Heavyweight Champion (1 time) *Wrestling Pro Essonne **WPE Championship (1 time, current) *

**XPW World Tag Team Championship (XPW World Tag Team Championship#Title History, 2 times) – with Josh Prohibition

''Luchas de Apuestas'' record

References

External links

Match HistoryInterviewInterviewRadio interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cross, Matt 1980 births 20th-century professional wrestlers American male professional wrestlers Living people Sportspeople from Cuyahoga County, Ohio Tough Enough contestants American people of Sammarinese descent Professional wrestlers from Ohio Masked wrestlers People from Brecksville, Ohio American Ninja Warrior contestants Lucha Underground Trios Champions Ironman Heavymetalweight Champions